Do fans own 51% of German clubs?
In Germany, the Bundesliga operates under a long-held rule that requires 50 percent of a club plus one share to be possessed by team vereins. But tradition is being challenged as more money flows into European soccer.
First, they increased the membership amount to 1000 Euros, whereas clubs like Dortmund only charge 62 Euros for an annual membership and voting right. This is the prime reason why there is so much hatred against RB Leipzig. Is the law a blessing or a curse on Bundesliga?
Germans are traditionally sticklers for accuracy and they're no different when it comes to football. As a general rule of thumb, if you see a '1. ' in front of your team's name that's because they want you to know they were the first such club to be founded in their city.
In short, it means that clubs – and, by extension, the fans - hold a majority of their own voting rights. Under German Football League [DFL] rules, football clubs will not be allowed to play in the Bundesliga if commercial investors have more than a 49 percent stake.
The 50+1 rule is an informal term used to refer to a clause in the regulations of the Deutsche Fußball-Liga (German Football League). The clause states that, in order to obtain a license to compete in the Bundesliga, a club must either wholly- or majority-own its association football team.
- AFC Wimbledon, England. AFC Wimbledon is an exception to the private ownership concept popular in England. ...
- Rangers, Scotland. ...
- Athletic Bilbao, Spain. ...
- FC Barcelona, Spain. ...
- Bayern Munich, Germany.
Whereas the Premier League has restricted shareholding in a second club in the division to 10%, Uefa's integrity rules permit one person to have a 100% shareholding in one club and a “non-decisive influence” shareholding in another club competing in the same competition.
Deutsche Telekom are one of four long-term partners of Bayern Munich. The other three partners, Audi, Adidas and Allianz all own an 8.33% stake in the club, with the remaining 75% owned by the fans.
Though RB Leipzig are owned under Red Bull, who also own the likes of RB Salzburg (Red Bull Salzburg), the New York Red Bulls, RB Brazil and RB Ghana, they are officially known as RasenBallsport Leipzig and not Red Bull Leipzig because German football does not allow clubs to be named after a sponsor.
Put simply, you win a cup, you get a star. Germany is not the only country to do this. For example, France has two stars on their jersey–one for their victory in 1998, and another for their victory in 2018.
What does Borussia mean?
Borussia is the Latin word for Prussia, a former European state that comprised much of what today is Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Russia.
The initial premise of third kits was for those occasions when both an away team's home and change shirts would clash with the hosts.

Private landlords own the vast majority of rental housing
Public entities or privately owned housing companies own less than one-quarter of rental dwellings. Housing cooperatives own about one-quarter of the rental housing stock, mostly built between 1949 and 1990.
Shares of Borussia Dortmund, a German Bundesliga Club, are traded on the German stock market and are largely held by fans. TC Freisenbruch, a club which was founded in Essen in 1902, is managed completely by the fans.
– The club is fully owned by a community organisation that represents its supporters.
A Football club owner can either decide to take over the daily operations of the club by appointing himself as president, or holding any other managerial title, or he can simply decide to hand over these responsibilities to other persons who might be more specialized when it comes to running a club.
Instead, fans own nearly 82 percent of Bayern (per CNN). This is by design. The Bundesliga requires—with rare exceptions—that clubs adhere to a 50-plus-one principle of ownership, meaning more than 50 percent of each club is controlled by fans (more at The Guardian). Bayern is no exception to either requirement.
On March 10th, the fifteenth day of the war in Ukraine, the British government imposed sanctions on Roman Abramovich, the Russian owner of Chelsea Football Club, the reigning European and world champions of the club game.
- Borussia Dortmund (80,783) Stadium: Signal Iduna Park.
- Bayern Munich (75,000) Stadium: Allianz Arena. ...
- Manchester United (74,674) Stadium: Old Trafford. ...
- AC Milan (72,169) ...
- Inter Milan (70,365) ...
- Olympique de Marseille (62,877) ...
- West Ham (62,447) ...
- Schalke (62,194) ...
Which FC club is the richest?
Real Madrid is the richest football club in the world in 2022. It has a net value of $5.1 billion as of 2022. This team is based in Spain and is owned by various club members.
A player can never be bigger than the manager or a football club. "When a player is speaking so candidly about the club needing to attack, play in a certain way and questioning the manager's approach, that creates problems between not only those two but also creates an atmosphere within the dressing room.
A club cannot loan more than one player from the same club during the same season.
Some NFL teams are still owned by the same families who started the franchise. To buy an NFL team today, it can cost more than $1 billion.
It is owned by a parent company, Arsenal Holdings plc, which has relatively few shares which are infrequently traded. Historically, the club has been owned by descendants of the Bracewell-Smith and Hill-Wood families.
American investor John Textor became the largest individual owner of the club (40 percent) in August 2021 with an investment of roughly $114.7 in the club. He joined U.S. investor group Palace Holdco LP (41 percent), led by American investors Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who entered the frame in December 2015.
Bayern Munich's bank debt to finance the Allianz Arena was paid off 16 years ahead of schedule in 2014. The debt, which was as high as €167 million in 2009, had practically vanished.
Mateschitz died on 22 October 2022 aged 78, following a long illness. Red Bull GmbH is headquartered in Fuschl am See, an Austrian village of about 1,500 inhabitants near Salzburg. The company is 51 per cent controlled by the Yoovidhya family who, for technical reasons, owns the trademark in Europe and the US.
In total, the drinks brand have now invested in 5 soccer teams, and a total of over 15 sports teams across 11 sports. The teams they own are as follows: FC Red Bull Salzburg (Football) RB Leipzig (Football)
...
Dietrich Mateschitz | |
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Children | Mark Mateschitz |
How did Germans hold up three fingers?
A German would have ordered “three” with the index, middle finger, and thumb extended. Have a look at this short video where people around the world show how they count with their fingers.
Germans say the overwhelming reason they use tanning studios is because sun — even the artificial kind — makes them feel more “alive”.
English | German |
---|---|
the t-shirt | das T-Shirt |
The term 'BVB' – pronounced in German 'bay-fow-bay' – stems from the club's official name of Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e.V. Dortmund.
Bayern is the name of the state of Bavaria, while Bayer is the word for a Bavarian person. So, in the case of Bayern München, the name means Bavaria Munich. It's not an uncommon way of naming teams in Germany.
Spanish teams are called 'Real' because the title has been bestowed on them by the Spanish royal family. Traditionally, the club would offer a reigning Spanish king a title such as 'Honorary President' and in return would receive a royal patronage, allowing them to use the 'Real' prefix.
Can you wear your home kit away? Provided the visiting team's home kit doesn't clash with the home colours of the home team, then yes, you may wear your home kit when playing an away match.
The two teams must wear colours that distinguish them from each other and the match officials. Each goalkeeper must wear colours that are distinguishable from the other players and the match officials.
Rank | Club | Kit Supplier |
---|---|---|
1 | Manchester United | Adidas |
2 | Real Madrid | Adidas |
3 | Bayern Munich | Adidas |
4 | Liverpool | Nike |
This government-built, high-quality supply of social housing laid the foundations for Germany's preference for renting over buying. Couple this with a lack of subsidies for homeowners, rent stability, and consistently high house prices, and Germany's historical propensity for renting over buying becomes clear.
Do renters pay property tax in Germany?
If you buy a house in Germany, you as the homeowner are liable to pay property taxes on it. If you rent as a tenant, your landlord may pass the property tax onto you via your utility bills. The tax is an important source of income for municipalities in Germany, bringing in around 15 billion euros each year.
As a tenant in Germany, you are under the protection of the law. This means you're safe from sudden evictions and the like. Every tenant in Germany is protected by the legal notice of contract termination of at least 3 months. The longer you reside in the apartment, the longer the notice period becomes.
Chinese holding company Fosun International bought Wolves in July 2016 from previous owner Steve Morgan for around £45m. Headquartered in Shanghai and Hong Kong, they have a presence in 16 countries and are estimated to be worth around $9.14bn (£6.72bn).
Heart of Midlothian FC has become the UK's largest fan-owned club, after chair Ann Budge's majority shareholding was signed over to the Foundation of Hearts.
The player they're offering doesn't have to agree to the move, of course, and the selling club might not want him, but he can be offered.
- AFC Wimbledon, England. AFC Wimbledon is an exception to the private ownership concept popular in England. ...
- Rangers, Scotland. ...
- Athletic Bilbao, Spain. ...
- Bayern Munich, Germany.
This membership fee is whatever the artist decides to set it to be, so the range is incredibly wide, anywhere from $20-$150 plus. These fees can also be split up either monthly or yearly, and the cost may vary depending on what “level” of the fan club you are in. On average, fan clubs like this are $30 for the year.
Instead, fans own nearly 82 percent of Bayern (per CNN). This is by design. The Bundesliga requires—with rare exceptions—that clubs adhere to a 50-plus-one principle of ownership, meaning more than 50 percent of each club is controlled by fans (more at The Guardian). Bayern is no exception to either requirement.
Two of Germany's biggest and best-known clubs, Dortmund and Mönchengladbach, have it in their name, but what does 'Borussia' mean? Borussia is the Latin word for Prussia, a former European state that comprised much of what today is Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Russia.
Which club is the richest club in the world?
1. Manchester City is the richest football club in 2022 with revenue of €644.9 million.
# | Football Team | Number of Fans |
---|---|---|
01 | Manchester United | 75,012,095 |
02 | Chelsea | 49,760,591 |
03 | Manchester City | 40,715,173 |
04 | Liverpool | 39,137,387 |
With so many popular sports in the country, it's hard to pin down a 'national sport'. However, by far the most popular sport in Germany in terms of both participation and spectatorship is football.
While there have been four stars since the championship in 2008, the fifth was added for the first time after the 30th championship in 2021, starting in the 21/22 season. Since then, it's hard to imagine our jerseys and many other merchandising items without the five stars above the logo.
According to club statistics, Bayern count 185,000 club members worldwide, or 15,000 more than Barcelona.
In February 2021, Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over Wrexham Association Football Club, a small team from the north of Wales, and now they're releasing a documentary about their journey.